thumb on the scale
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editAn allusion to a butcher who cheats customers by surreptitiously using a thumb to apply extra pressure to the scale when weighing meat to calculate the price of a sale.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
editthumb on the scale (usually uncountable, plural thumbs on the scale or thumbs on the scales)
- (idiomatic) An act of bias or a tactic for cheating which creates a situation that unfairly benefits one party involved in an interaction.
- 2009 June 23, “China and US head for trade war”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 1 November 2015:
- Ron Kirk, the US trade representative, accused Beijing of putting a "giant thumb on the scale" by restricting exports of commodities including silicon, coke and zinc, to give Chinese manufacturers an unfair advantage.
- 2014 October 22, Derek Willis, “‘Soft on Crime’ TV Ads Affect Judges’ Decisions, Not Just Elections”, in New York Times, retrieved 1 November 2015:
- "The data show that the television campaign ads this money buys put a thumb on the scale in criminal cases, and undermine the promise of equal justice."